The present invention related to a process for the production of optically active compounds, characterized in that it comprises oxidizing stereoselectively alkenyl ethyleneglycols, and to the optically active compounds which are advantageously obtained by the method and utilizable as starting materials of physiologically active compounds.
Generally, when the physiologically active compounds have asymmetric carbons, there are plural stereoisomers. Usually, only a stereoisomer among these stereoisomers shows advantageous characteristics. When a stereoisomer which is a racemate or a steroisomer having low optical purity is used, it is apparent that the resulting compounds does not sufficiently exhibit physiological activity.
Optically active compounds which can be produced by the process of the present invention are fully controlled in the steric configuration of three asymmetric positions. Although it is considered that the compounds are useful for raw materials of various useful physiological active compounds, a process for efficiently producing the compounds is still unknown from the complexity of the structure. As an example, ##STR1## (E.J. Corey et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102(27), 7984 (1980)) and ##STR2## (J. Rokach et al., Prostaglandins, 1, 65(1981)) are known as intermediates for synthesizing leukotrienes. However, only a process for producing the compounds via several steps from mannose which is a sugar is described, but a process for efficiently producing the compounds is still unknown.